Health care for the elderly and people with
disabilities is attracting more attention than ever.
Two major issues have exploded: The Department of
Veterans Affairs warned that health care programs will
be short at least $2.6 billion next year unless Congress
approves additional funds; and Medicaid, a government
health care program for the poor, is straining to cover
two-thirds of the nation's 1.6 million nursing home
residents.
The Bush administration finally admitted the proposed
budget for veterans health care was grossly understated
by not including thousands of military personnel
returning from Afghanistan and Iraq needing medical
care.
The Veterans Administration warned Congress about the
impact of the newly disabled, who have been pouring into
the VA medical system since the beginning of the
Afghanistan War.
Congress is shouting it has been hoodwinked, citing
reports focused on the population of the active and
non-active personnel who receive benefits.
Republicans who were fighting budget increases are
scrambling to push through a budget increase to keep the
Democrats from pointing righteous fingers.
To save face, an emergency bill to up the budget
another $1.5 billion for fiscal year 2005 is being
shoved through Congress.
While Congress is reacting appropriately to the
veterans health care debacle, the elderly long-term care
problem is quickly growing into a conundrum.
The population of elderly who have Medicaid long-term
care coverage is climbing higher. In the past, a
recipient's home was excluded from his or her assets in
qualifying for coverage. No more.
Discussions of reverse mortgages to pay for nursing
home care are flying in Washington.
The kicker is the wealthiest in our country don't
have to worry about health care with such benefits as
the demise of the estate tax. Other tax shelters will
help ensure that their sunset years will be lived in the
style they've become accustomed to.
Middle class people will take a beating by having to
give up their homes and other assets over $2,000 before
Medicaid will allow coverage. Other proposals encourage
states to put liens on houses when nursing-home
residents die to reimburse Medicaid for costs for their
care.
Some say children of aging parents are trying to hold
on to their parents' home to pay for their own health
care later on.
Medicaid's definitions of who qualifies as poor have
created a class of elder-care lawyers. They show people
how to transfer mom and dad's life earnings so they can
qualify for Medicaid, because yearly nursing home care
costs are as high as $100,000 in larger cities. This
practice is under intense scrutiny.
The wealthy live lives of luxury almost airtight
against government intervention. Why shouldn't the
tax-bearers of this nation have a nest egg that is off
limits, too?
Altruism is supposed to be a fundamental theme of
this nation - give us your poor, your hungry, your
huddled masses, etc. That's what America used to be. It
can be again - if we all fight for it.
You can e-mail Barbara J. McKee at chairgrrl@chairgrrl.com.
Her column runs on Tuesdays.
